The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a document image editing function and, more particularly, to an image forming apparatus operable with an editor for editing a document image and constructed to accommodate the editor in a body thereof as needed.
Some modern image forming apparatuses such as an electrophotographic copier, facsimile machine and printer are provided with an editing function for deleting or extracting a desired part of a document image. For example, an analog copier with an editing function has an editor which is physically independent of a body of the apparatus and operated at a spaced location. While a person edits a document image on the editor by using a light pen, for example, a signal representative of the edited image is fed to a control section of the copier body by a cable. A drawback with such a prior art analog copier is that a substantial extra space or setting the editor has to be secured in addition to a space for placing the copier body. Recently, a digital copier with an editing function has been developed which has an editor constructed integrally with a top cover or presser plate of the copier. Although this kind of copier is successful in saving space, the unitary top cover and editor assembly is not practicable when an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder), SADF (Semiautomatic Document Feeder) or similar document handler which also plays the role of a top cover is mounted on the copier.